Episodes

In this survivor story, Romana discusses the emotional and physical abuse she endured at the hands of her mother, the dissociation it created, and how everything effected her future abusive relationships. Of the many abusive relationships Romana endured, the most abusive one was with her first ex-husband, who became her lifelong stalker. It's a story of intergenerational trauma, emotional abuse, subjectivity, boundaries, support, attachment trauma, manipulation, coercive control, triangulation,...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse Q&A, Brandon discusses the role of feelings/body sensation language and how it can help an abuse survivor translate their story more effectively to themselves and to others. Brandon delves into the importance of vi

Naomi was just out of a failed marriage, living on her mother's couch, when a wolf in sheep's clothing swooped in to save her. He helped Naomi move out, got her a job, and lavished her with expensive gifts. However, once they got an apartment of their own, Naomi's abuser began to show signs of coercive control. It's a story of shame, guilt, financial abuse, gaslighting, putdowns, sexual coercion, sexual assault, jealousy, coercive control, intimidation, isolation, rage, feeling trapped, minimiz...

Brandon welcomes back our previous guest, Sharon, to share her insightful journey toward self-discovery and healing from narcissistic abuse. This eye-opening conversation aims to shed light on the importance of recognizing our programming created by intergenerational trauma and abusive relationships, leading to conscious efforts to break the cycles of abuse. We also discuss how our survival mechanisms can sometimes betray us, especially when they are exploited by abusers. And drawing from perso...

Kate met her abuser at a musical jam, and they hit it off instantly. The relationship progressed quickly, with Kate finding herself at her abuser's home five days a week. From there, Kate's abuser hijacked her time, manipulating her into self-isolation, and once that was accomplished, he began to destabilize her in any way he could. It's a story of time control, minimization, denial, blame, guilt, animal abuse, child abuse, child sexual abuse, people pleasing, intimidation, support, destabiliza...

Join us on this eye-opening discussion on Narcissist Apocalypse Q&A as we dissect the fabric of lies that often underpin abusive relationships. In the first part of our conversation, we uncover the three major untruths that abusers project onto their vict

Cam grew up under the intense scrutiny of a high-control religion. From the relentless bullying at school to the physical abuse he experienced at home, Cam couldn't take it anymore and eventually ran away. Cam opens up about his indoctrination into the Jehovah's Witness religion, how it led him into an abusive relationship, and how the toxic dynamics prevented him from leaving his marriage. It's a story of people pleasing, being good enough, gaslighting, financial abuse, indoctrination, spiritu...

Fuchsia went on a handful of dates with her abuser and decided that he wasn't for her. He was boring. However, soon after it ended, Fuchsia found out she was pregnant and gave the abuser the option to be involved. Unfortunately, he said yes, and Fuchsia had no idea what she was in store for. It began with dismissiveness during a pregancy appointment, but moved to rages, and forcing his new girlfriend into her Fuchsia's life. What should have been a beautiful time in Fuchsia's life became a night...

Octavia came from Colombia to the United States via the Au Pair program. While on a weekend trip, Octavia fell in love with a charismatic volunteer firefighter. He said all the right things and made Octavia feel special. She felt chosen. However, the whirlwind romance eventually turned into an abusive marriage. First, it was the rages, then the gaslighting, then the physical abuse, and to make sure she never left, Octavia's now husband used her undocumented status to abuse her even further. It'...

Prepare to gain a profound understanding of the weaponization of suffering within narcissistic abuse, religious groups, and society at large. In this episode, we sit down with Natalie Hoffman, author, podcaster, and educator for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive relationships. We explore the glorification of suffering as a badge of honor in relationships and spiritual growth. Natalie guides us through the nuanced differences between necessary and unnecessary suffering, with ...

Veronica shares her tumultuous journey of surviving a coercive relationship that began in her teens and extended into her college years. From the first blush of teenage love to the terrifying descent into verbal abuse and sexual coercion, Veronica's story is an eye-opening account of the devastating effects of coercive control. Veronica found herself targeted, isolated, and trapped in a relationship that was marred with gaslighting, put-downs, jealousy, possessiveness, misogyny, and physical in...

Brandon discusses Reactive Defense & the Reactive Defense Response, why it's significant, and how it's manipulated by abusers to shift blame onto their victims. You'll learn how these tactics are used to frame the abuser as the innocent party, manipulate victims into feeling guilt and shame, and even blackmail victims. We also shine a light on the widespread misconception of mutual abuse, and the importance of recognizing signs of Reactive Defense and Coercive Control as a whole. Join us as we n...

Narcissist Apocalypse is a raw and unfiltered podcast that gives a voice to survivors of narcissistic abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence. Narcissist Apocalypse is part validation, part education, part self-discovery, and part support group. From 'Why do people stay?' to 'Why do manipulation tactics work?' You'll get angry. You'll learn. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll get inspired. Come find out what our guests did to survive, and make no mistake, our guests are the lucky ones... they li...

Heidi is the scapegoat for her family. Her father was highly controlling, watching her every move, waiting to erupt at minimal slights of ever-changing and unpredictable goalposts. These events set the stage for a life of low self-esteem, confidence, and worth. It's a story of enmeshment, minimizing, denying, blame, putdowns, rage, sexual abuse, enabling, suicidal ideation, depression, bullying, intergenerational trauma, fragmented identity, loneliness, CPTSD, and PTSD. **This episode is dedic...

In this Q&A episode, Brandon discusses the different types of fear, fear responses, the motivation behind threats, and the different threat types wielded in abusive relationships.

Madison felt something was off in her 'normal' marriage, but she couldn't pinpoint it for the first eight years. However, once Madison gave birth to her first child, her husband's facade dropped, and the person lurking beneath wreaked havoc on her life for good. It's a story of pedestals, isolation, smear campaigns, overwhelm, self defense, physical abuse, physical intimidation, escalation points, enabling, addiction, name calling, putdowns, control, and jealousy. If you want to be a guest on ...

In this episode, Brandon talks with Dr. Ingrid Clayton about healing from narcissistic abuse and complex trauma. Dr. Clayton shares her personal story as we discuss her memoir, 'Believing Me', a powerful recount of her childhood trauma from a psychologist's perspective and her healing journey. Dr. Clayton also navigates through the heavy waters of trauma responses, reenactments, and how these reactions often lead to relational trauma and self-abandonment. To reach Dr. Ingrid Clayton's website, ...

Serenity was 20 years old when she met her abuser. He was 34 years old and a millionaire. Over the course of their 12 year relationship, Serenity endured physical violence, sexual coercion, financial manipulation, putdowns, isolation, and gaslighting. The damaging impact of this abuse inflicted a tremendous amount of stress on her mental and emotional health. From constant hyper vigilance, to body disconnection and memory loss, to suicidal ideation, Serenity battled these issues until the day sh...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse Q&A, we discuss the 4 Overwhelm Types and the abuse tactics that narcissistic abusers use to overwhelm their victims. We expose how manipulators overwhelm victims to gain control, using strategies like love bombing

Inez thought she met the man of her dreams. Inez truly believed that her new partner would give her the unconditional love she always wanted. However, Inez's ex was a wolf in sheep's clothing, mirroring her to get the control he always wanted. It's a story of intergenerational trauma, reenactments, jealousy, control, sexual coercion, gaslighting, love bombing, empty promises, abuse cycles, future faking, guilt, denial, mirroring, self care, self discovery, silent treatments, ghosting, minimizat...

What happens when a daughter grapples with a manipulative and controlling mother throughout her life? How does she navigate her path through minimization, denial, and blame? From the complexities of her mother's need to be the truth-teller, to the constant interference in her personal life and milestones, Joanne's story uncovers the severe effects of intergenerational trauma. Joanne will take you through the challenging process of building trust with her mother, the struggles she faced in protec...

Jasmine tells her story of being in an abusive relationship that she just couldn't quit. Jasmine dealt with ghosting, love bombing, gaslighting, physical intimidation, physical abuse, putdowns, nitpicking, rage, infidelity, blame-shifting, abandonment, an

Stella met her charismatic partner through her sister. And even though Stella had some inner alarm bells ringing to run as things were moving quite quickly, her friends and family vouched for him. Everyone said go when they should have said slow down. As soon as Stella moved in, the abuse and coercive control began. Stella's partner tried to make her feel crazy, and it worked. Stella thought she was the problem and felt trapped with no one to talk to. It's a story of smear campaigns, infidelity...

Bree and her family thought she married 'Mr. Perfect', but a week after their honeymoon, the coercive control began. At first, it started with isolation, then financial abuse, putdowns, sexual abuse, infidelity, triangulation, and more. It took a long time for Bree to free herself from the clutches of her husband, but she eventually got the divorce she was looking for. However, ten years post-divorce, Bree is still dealing with her ex's post-separation abuse. *** CONTENT WARNING - This episode ...